Sheil Kapadia

Philly.com

At the end of his post-game press conference, Donovan McNabb was asked if he expects to be back next season with a new contract.

"I don't know," he said. "We'll see what happens."

McNabb was also asked if he felt like the Eagles built something this year despite the loss.

"I guess I’ve been building for 10 years so I can’t sit and say about the building aspect of things," McNabb said. "I think each year is an opportunity for you to add more weapons and add more guys that can contribute heavily and play a major part in what you want to do.”

Here's the rest of McNabb's comments. In the interest of getting this up ASAP, these are not exact quotes.

What was the difference between the first and second halves?

McNabb says they got in their comfort zone, started running different plays and were able to sustain drives. They settled for field goals in the first half but scored touchdowns in the second half. They adjusted and got into a rhythm. They felt like every time they stepped on to the field, they were going to score. In the two-minute drill, they felt like they had an opportunity to get points. It was an unfortunate situation on the last play but tip your hat off to them.

What are his feelings now?

McNabb says the way the second half went, sitting on the sidelines, awaiting that opportunity, the other team eating up the clock, trying to keep the Eagles offense off the field. They’ve been a part of that five or six times. He’s seen it so many times where the other team is able to run the ball and keep the offense off the field.

What happened on the throw to Hank Baskett on the final drive?

McNabb says the Cardinals brought a blitz and the guy broke free through the middle. McNabb couldn’t set his feet, got the ball off a little early and the throw was behind Hank. They had another chance. They just couldn’t convert on fourth down.

Did the Cardinals blitz better than he thought?

McNabb says not necessarily. They did a good job of disguising some of them but the Eagles were able to pick up a lot of the blitzes. They did a great job in coverage of dropping guys underneath the Eagles’ routes. And a couple times they got free. It was obviously different than the Thanksgiving game but nothing out of ordinary.

Talk about the throw to DeSean Jackson or Kevin Curtis on the last play that was incomplete.

McNabb says the throw was to DeSean, and he was trying to get it over guys. Two guys were even with each other, and McNabb was trying to get it over the defender. They weren't able to come down and convert with it.

What happened on the last fourth down?

McNabb says they had one-on-one coverage with Rod Hood. They felt like it would be a good matchup for them. All McNabb knows is his guy went down. They didn’t get a call. It’s unfortunate but congratulations to them.

How hard is the loss to take?

McNabb says you never want anything to end, especially the way things have gone for them. Just kind of the streak, and playing as well as they did in the two playoff games. You never want it to end and you don’t see it ending. Guys really challenged themselves to play better and bring their ‘A’ game and make sure they were there for their teammates. To end this way is tough, when you’re that close to making it to the Super Bowl and you just see it taken away from you... this team has really pulled together and has that type of nucleus that you want. And it’s tough to see the guys and know how they’re feeling.

Did the Cardinals catch the Eagles by surprise?

McNabb wouldn’t say that. The first half, the Cardinals were playing on adrenaline and the fans. The second half told the tale. The Eagles got things going repatedly and felt like every play that was called was going to be a great play for them. The Cardinals were able to prevail. You can see the experience of Kurt Warner and the trust with Larry Fitzgerald. And Edgerrin James being in the backfield. The experience comes out. That’s when you need guys to step up at the end and be able to pick up that first down and keep the chains moving, which puts them in position to score a touchdown or get a field goal.

How tough is this?

McNabb says it’s always tough when you get this close. You were one game away, and really a couple minutes away from getting to the Super Bowl and being able to continue one of their goals. And to see the scoreboard and see they lost the game, and the confetti comes down. It’s tough. It’s really tough.

Talk about the deep TD throw to DeSean Jackson.

McNabb says it’s trusting the guys you got out there. They were able to get one or two steps past Cromartie and got the safety to bite on the crossing route. And he just tried to put it out there for Jackson, who did a good job of getting some more separation from Cromartie. That was DeSean just doing a good job of bringing the catch down.